Banana Mango Cones

These Banana Mango cones are just a delight to serve to guests. This particular cone shouldn’t be used to serve moist foods in it because the moisture will weaken the cone (rehydrate it basically). For serving suggestions, fill the wrap with; dried fruits and nuts, dry granola… foods that you would shake out into your other hand and eat, thus leaving the cone (leather) to eat once in the inner contents are gone.

I apologize for the end result photos. Here is a valuable tip… ALWAYS check the quality of your photos before you eat the props! lol I knew this for I have been doing this long enough… but my growling tummy got the best of me. The photos are not the best but my tummy is full (pats belly).

Ingredients: yields 3 1/2 cups of batter (6 round wraps)

2 mangos, skinned and stone removed

1 large, ripe banana

1 Tbsp raw honey

Preparation:

Select RIPE or slightly overripe bananas and mangoes that have reached a peek in color, texture, and flavor.

Prepare the mangoes; remove skin and pit.

Puree the fruit and honey, in the blender or food processor until smooth. Taste and sweeten more if needed. Keep in mind that flavors will intensify as they dehydrate. When adding a sweetener do so a little at a time, and reblend, tasting until it is at the desired taste. It is best to use a liquid type sweetener. Don’t use a granulated sugar because it tends to change the texture.

Spread the fruit puree on teflex sheets that come with your dehydrator. Pour the puree into 6 equal portions on the teflex sheet. Spread to a 6″ diameter circle with an even depth of 1/8 to 1/4 inch . If you don’t have teflex sheets for the trays, you can line your trays with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Do not use wax paper or aluminum foil.

Lightly coat the food dehydrator plastic sheets or wrap with a cooking spray, I use coconut oil that comes in a spray.

When spreading the puree on the liner, allow about an inch of space between the mixture and the other wraps. The fruit leather mixture will spread out as it dries, so it needs a little room to allow for this expansion.

Be sure to spread the puree evenly on your drying tray. When spreading the puree mixture, try tilting and shaking the tray to help it distribute more evenly. Also, it is a good idea to rotate your trays throughout the drying period. This will help assure that the leathers dry evenly.

Dehydrate the fruit leather at 145 degrees (F) for 1 hour, reduce temp to 105 degrees (F) and continue drying for about 8 (+/-) hours. Finished consistency should be pliable and easy to roll.

Check for dark spots on top of the fruit leather. If dark spots can be seen it is a sign that the fruit leather is not completely dry.

Press down on the fruit leather with a finger. If no indentation is visible or if it is no longer tacky to the touch, the fruit leather is dry and can be removed from the dehydrator.

Peel the leather from the dehydrator trays or parchment paper. If it peels away easily and holds its shape after peeling, it is dry. If it is still sticking or loses its shape after peeling, it needs further drying.

Under-dried fruit leather will not keep; it will mold. Over-dried fruit leather will become hard and crack, although it will still be edible and will keep for a long time.

Create the cone. (Picture below)

I used Creme Horn Cones to mold my cone shapes. Lightly coat them with coconut oil. This will help in removing the mold when they are done.

Spritz the backside of the wrap with a little water so it will get sticky.

Start wrapping the leather around the cone mold as seen in the photos below. When the cone is shaped, use a dampened finger to seal the edge.

Slide a rubber band onto the leather to secure the shape while it goes back into the dehydrator. The rubber band shouldn’t be really tight, it is there to help hold it together.

Dehydrate at 105 degrees for about 4-6 hours, basically until they are no longer sticky. They won’t dry hard.

Remove the mold, fill and serve.

Above – the completed leathers. These can be eaten as is or you can move onto making cones.

Above – supplies used, Creme Horn Cones and rubber bands. Don’t use rubber bands that are so tight that they marks on your leather. Lightly coat the molds with a touch of coconut oil. This will help the removal process when we are all done.

Above – this is for those who don’t have the Creme Horn Cones (yet! good inexpensive investment). You can roll the leather into cone shape without the mold but they won’t be as wide. The mold helps to support the leather during the drying process and give you consistent sized cones. Dip your finger in water and run it along the edge to seal it, rub back and forth real gentle till it sticks to itself.

Above – here I am using the mold. I am showing you in this photo how I am sealing the edge that I spoke out above.

Above – just taking a peak inside.

Above – As you can see, I slide a few rubber bands on the cones for extra security.

Above – Place the cones on the mesh sheet that comes with the dehydrator and dry at 105 degrees for approx. 4-6 hours. They won’t dry crispy but they shouldn’t be sticky when cooled. Slide the mold out and fill with dry ingredients as talked about above.

4 thoughts on “Banana Mango Cones”

Yep… delicious! Build them right before serving. The wetness from the ganache can soften the cone. You could even freeze some bananas and then whip them into a frozen banana ice cream. Then pipe it into the cone and freeze. Once frozen, dip the tops in ganache and sprinkle the mango, coconut and nuts on top so it sets into the chocolate, then freeze until needed! Have a great evening Leslie, amie sue